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Author on Assignment: Traveling Back in Time to the GDR

Joyce Moyer Hostetter, friend and fellow children’s author, is currently writing a novel taking place in communist-era East Germany. She recently spent time researching on location. I asked her to share with us a little about her process and about how her research shaped her trip.

Thank you, Emily, for inviting me to chat about how research affected my visit to Germany. My goal was to learn as much as I could about the history of the Berlin Wall and about life in eastern Germany during the communist era. As you can imagine, this narrowed my options a bit. I love visiting castles, cathedrals, and museums but, if they weren’t directly related to my work-in-progress, I pretty much ignored those things in favor of museums and historical landmarks that were important to my character.

There is the Brandenburg Door, of course! It definitely figures into my story!

And also the remnants of Anhalter Station which I didn’t even know existed until we passed it on the way to our hotel. I knew immedediately that this place would have significance for my character. I can’t wait to find out how it plays into the story.

At museums that tied into my story, I had to keep my focus. I couldn’t soak up every little thing – just those items that related to my subject. Time was of the essence so my camera became my note taker. I snapped pictures of everything! Information signs, artifacts, and primary documents.

I visited specific spots where my characters spent time.

Of course the landscape has changed tremendously in the decades since my story takes place but still it was important to me to walk the cobblestone streets, see certain landscapes at sunset or midday,

and take in the details of buildings, and the environment in general.

Knowing which trees are native to my setting and seeing them in bloom is important to me. I’m fairly certain my character would take note of such things.

So maybe you, or one of your readers, can tell me what this tree is.

And is it the same as this one with white blossoms?

I chose not to go to some places (big heartbreak). I wanted to visit the oldest carousel in the world near Frankfurt am Main since it is (or could be) connected to my story. But since I wasn’t sure about that, and it would have cut into our time and our money, I reluctantly let it go.

We spent less than a week in Berlin and several weeks in Halle. I’d expected my character to live in Leipzig and did some important research there as well. But after only a few days in Halle I realized how perfect it was as a setting for my story. For one thing it’s where we’d made plans to live for the bulk of our trip (in connection with my husband’s sabbatical).

We walked along the River Saale. We explored the various sections of the town. I discovered where my character would live and visited historic sites nearby.

Of course Halle looked different during the communist era. This city, rich with history and culture, lost much of its beauty during those years.

But Halle’s beauty is back!

One of my big goals for the trip was to meet people who lived through communism and who remembered Halle during the GDR days. One woman, Diana, met me in a café, armed with memorabilia.

These are Diana’s merit badges from her days as a Young Pioneer, an organization designed to prepare kids for Socialist Party loyalty.

This and other classbooks from Diana’s school showed daily and yearly schedules, grades, class sizes, and also subjects studied. Woo hoo! I am going to need this info so I took pics of various pages.

Diana, who teaches English, also connected me with students in an English conversational group. I was a bit startled at first to realize these folks were at my disposal, so to speak – ready to answer any questions I threw at them. They gave me insights and details I would never have imagined otherwise – experiences and emotions I can give to my character and also information about street names that have changed, how the town looked back in the day, etc.

I asked about this flame I’d seen on a walk about town. They seemed confused at first until someone realized I was referring to the flag! Yes, that flag, the red flag of communism. Just one example of how my character and I could see the same place with a totally different look!

I met other people who gladly shared their experiences with me. I feel that I made friends in Germany who I can call on again – to answer questions about their personal experiences, help with research, answer language questions, and maybe even authenticate my manuscript someday.

On our last day in Halle some of our new friends took us to the Halloren Shokoladen Fabrik, Germany’s oldest chocolate factory. It was the sweetest possible way to end our time there – with a few good friends and bags of German chocolate to go.

Their exhibits included so much more than chocolate. These mannequins dressed as Young Pioneers were one of several communist era displays. And the following is a glimpse into part of the WWII era on exhibit there.

During the Nazi era, factory changed its name from David to Mignon so it would not sound Jewish.

I don’t know for sure how this information fits into my story but it just might! After all, the history of the chocolate factory or any other part of Halle is in some small way, my character’s history too. I tried to soak up as much as I could of the place, the people, and their backstory in hopes that the essentials ooze their way into my writing.

I learned a lot while I was in Germany. But I wasn’t even back on American soil when I realized I’d missed some spots altogether. I’m pretty sure this means I have to to go back! Maybe I will even get to see the oldest carousel in the world.

Thanks so much for sharing, Joyce! And I do hope someone can identify that tree, because we have them here in Hannover, and I’ve been trying to identify them for a long time now.

25 thoughts on “Author on Assignment: Traveling Back in Time to the GDR”

How fascinating! A master historical novelist giving an inside look at her research process! So much you have collected, so many tidbits and images and memories for your characters, I am sure it doesn’t even matter whether all of it ends up in your story, or not. All I can tell is, this is going to be one amazing story, which I cannot wait to read!

What a great piece by Joyce! Thanks for sharing this, Emily. I’m a writer friend of Joyce’s who is aware of her work-in-progress. This makes me all the more eager for the completed book in my hands! I also have a pastor friend who served in Halle; he’ll be excited about this, too.

Hello, I am one of Peggy Reiff Miller’s pastors here in Goshen IN. I believe that the picture you have of the tree is that of a “horse chestnut tree”. I also recognized the Weavers that were in your picture of people you met in Halle. They were part of our church planting team. What memories this brings back. If you have other questions, my wife and I would love to chat, per email, phone etc.

Wonderful! This is how I felt in Chicago, although I didn’t travel nearly as far as you for that trip! But that feeling of so much to see, so little time, and knowing that a return trip would be needed. Oh, darn, right?! :)

Katia,
What a great post to host on your site. Joyce, thanks for sharing so much of what your trip meant to you and your WIP. To think, walk, and explore like your character–next you will be dreaming his dreams, or are you already??

Hi Carol – Wish I could be dreaming this character’s dreams. But am in the midst of revisions of another character at the moment. Dreaming of Halle would be like going back for a visit and I would love that!

This is pretty cool! Takes me back to when I visited DDR and GDR back in 1987. We went on a guided tour of East Berlin (the only kind you could take) and as we were going through CHeckpoint Charlie, I stage-whispered to my Dad something about how we should hide the kid we were smuggling and I thought he was going to have an aneurysm. Wow, teenage sarcasm just knows no bounds, doesn’t it? I had no idea what I’d really said, and thought he was being humorless when he shut me up, but looking back, that was a bad, bad, bad thing to say just then. Luckily nothing happened.

Joyce, This is fascinating! It liked how you kept your focus on your story
needs even though there may have been other things you would have liked to visit. It sounds like it will be a very interesting book, and I cannot wait to read it.
Emily, Thanks for the great blog post! This is my first visit to your blog. I am putting you in my RSS feed! :-)

Emily-
Please forgive me for addressing my comment to “Katia.” I thought of this as soon as I hit “post!” So kind of you to host this post for Joyce. Very informative for the rest of us. IF I ever make it back to Germany–I know that I’ll have to look you up!